April 4, 2006

R.E.M. reunites with former drummer at Georgia gig

by ssavage

By Jonathan Cohen

NEW YORK (Bllboard) - For the second time in a year, R.E.M.
reunited with original drummer Bill Berry on stage in the
group's Athens, Ga., home base.

The action took place Saturday at the end of a performance
by the Minus 5, which features R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck.
Berry eschewed drums to play bass on a version of "Country
Feedback," drawn from R.E.M.'s 1991 album "Out of Time."

Berry joined Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe in October
for a performance at the wedding of longtime R.E.M. guitar tech
Dewitt Burton. It marked just the second time the original
foursome had played together since Berry left the band in 1997.

In other news, Buck will join R.E.M. drummer Bill Rieflin's
new band, Slow Music, for a brief West Coast tour in May. The
group, which debuted last October in Seattle, is also comprised
of guitarist Robert Fripp, drummer Matt Chamberlain and
keyboardist Hector Zazou.